The issue is about keeping Internet Service Providers COMPETITIVE. We should be looking for ways we can increase competition among ISPs by providing the right incentives—and looking for ways we can prevent the Verizons and Comcasts and the AT&Ts from gaining so much power that they can take complete control of the market for internet bandwidth.

The reality is, THERE IS NO REAL MARKETPLACE AMONGST ISPs. There’s no competition. Your ISP entirely depends on your geographic location (a natural monopoly - much like how a utility comes into being, but in this case, completely unrestrained).

Without a major policy shift to increase competition, broadband service in the United States will continue to lag far behind the rest of the developed world in terms of speed and cost.

And until Congress can pass a new law specifically designed to regulate the ISPs in a way that would benefit citizens of the United States, the FCC and DOJ should be urged to look into whether large broadband providers are abusing their power (by demanding payment from both ends, doubly charging both its customers and transit/content providers and holding content hostage by reducing speed/quality or restricting access to content), and pursue courses of action to protect our citizens - by helping to create a competitive marketplace between ISPs, CDNs, and transit providers and ensure that all US citizens as well as online businesses can continue to enjoy the freedoms of the internet that have become so important to everyday life.